This post is to comment on how early my pink Rhodophiala bifidas began blooming this year, despite our terribly dry conditions. I had my 1st pink bloom the 1st day of August, where they normally start blooming at the beginning of the 3rd week. Three days ago I noticed red Rhodophiala bifida blooming in 3 different locations in my nursery beds, and they don't normally start blooming, at their earliest until the last week of this month , then they really put on a show starting the first week in September. Patty Allen Southeast Texas -----Original Message----- >From: Kathleen Sayce <ksayce@willapabay.org> >Sent: Aug 18, 2011 3:14 PM >To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >Subject: [pbs] Rhodophialia > >did u plant directly into seed raising mix or soe on top & >cover with fine gravel or something ? > >I recantly planted hundreds of them before i saw they should be on top & >ankered but not covered or they wont grow. > >Steven, >I planted them on top of the soil in the pot with a layer of fine gravel on top of that. They germinated very well, and then, every few days, the sturdy little leaves were neatly nibbled off, clearly vole or mice-like rather than slug-like. I put one pot inside a mesh cover I use for 50 or so pots, to keep rodents off them, especially squirrels, and even so, that pot gets nibbled back down every so often. They are squeezing through gaps less than 1/2 inch wide to get inside. So I'm resorting to a finer mesh, complete inclosure. >I'll probably find that they shake the entire setup to get at the leaves. : -) >They leave the other leaves alone on pots in the present inclosure, which include Pacifica iris, narcissus, moraea, etc. The Rhodophialia leaves are their target, and must taste like candy to them. > >Kathleen > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ ________________________________________ PeoplePC Online A better way to Internet http://www.peoplepc.com/